University at Buffalo School of Management

Pitillo's experience is one of many such stories from the School of Management community—here are a few more. Beyond Zoom Seemingly overnight, countless organizations faced the herculean task of moving their in-person operations and services to a virtual environment. At the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, staff didn't just start working from home—they reorganized into new cross-functional teams to best support the business community. The regional chamber of commerce hosted webinars on emerging issues for more than 3,000 profes- sionals, created a reopening guide and other resources, and hosted a virtual listening tour for industry leaders and Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul. "Across the board, businesses have been striving to do the right thing to keep their employees and custom- ers safe, and come out stronger on the other side," says Dottie Gallagher, EMBA '07, president and CEO. "The flex- ibility and innovation I've witnessed have challenged me to think differently in all we do." In Philadelphia, at social service agency People for People Inc., Kirk Berry, BS '05, faced unique challenges with the program he leads: Project D.A.D. (Developing Active Dads), which helps noncustodial fathers become more active in their kids' lives through workshops, employment services and case management. For Berry, shiing in-class workshops to Zoom was the easy part. "The greatest challenge we overcame was recruit- ing and building rapport with the fathers to keep them engaged," Berry says. "It also has been difficult identi- fying the best way to provide services to those fathers who don't have the means to stay in constant communica- tion or are in facilities that are locked down without the ability to use technology." Berry helped Project D.A.D. to bridge those tech- nology gaps, work with partners to find job opportuni- ties, recruit new dads through expanded advertising and provide services like job interview prep. So far, he says, their efforts have paid off. "The new fathers participating seem to like the online workshops and attend each morning," he says. "In the future, we will continue to offer online enrollment and both in-person and online workshops, which will allow us to serve more fathers." Adapting quickly No organization has been immune to the effects of COVID-19, and large and small firms alike have had to adjust. Ingmar Haff ke, MBA '11, director of technology strategic initiatives at Visa, says the payments company recognizes consumers' need for digital and contactless payments, working to help money move seamlessly and securely between individuals, businesses and financial institutions. In addition, Visa supports more than two dozen state government programs, where unemploy- ment insurance benefits are distributed via prepaid debit cards. At Tronconi Segarra & Associates LLP, a top CPA firm in Western New York, partner Thomas Mazurek, BS '98, co-leads the firm's COVID-19 response team, fielding clients' questions and helping them understand federal legislation and relief programs. "From the beginning, we knew this wasn't going to be like a three-day Buffalo snowstorm, where things quickly returned to normal," says Mark A. Tronconi, BS '82, MBA '85, another partner. "We hoped that by help- ing businesses understand their options, they would be able to make the best decisions possible to remain viable through and aer the pandemic. This became larger than helping our clients—it became about helping a substantial part of the Western New York economy and community." Berry, at right, speaks to participants in Project D.A.D. Autumn 2020 Buffalo Business 19

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